Candis A. McGowan

C. Fred Daniels is a partner in the firm’s Birmingham, Alabama office, where his practice emphasizes estate and gift planning, administration of estates, taxation, closely-held businesses, and litigation involving the rights and duties of personal representatives and beneficiaries. Mr. Daniels has been the lead trial and appellate counsel in numerous estate, gift and income tax cases including O’Neal v. United States, 258 F.3d 1265 (11th Cir. 2001) (establishing that, in the Eleve...

Kyle T. Smith is the President of Dentons Sirote in Alabama, where he is a Shareholder, serves on the Board of Directors, and is Chair of Dentons Sirote's Employment and Labor practice. In addition to his role as President of Dentons Sirote, he is a member of the Dentons US Region Management Committee and Board of Directors. In his practice, he counsels employers across all industries on a broad range of employment issues and represents employers in all types of employment litigation. Kyle&rs...

Rod Kanter is a member of the firm's Public Finance Practice Group and the Emerging Growth Company Team. His primary practice includes serving as bond counsel, underwriter's counsel, and counsel to issuers of letters of credit in all types of tax-exempt and taxable debt financings. His representation of clients include the State of Alabama, various health care authorities, cities and counties, colleges and universities, industrial development boards, commercial development authorities, airpor...

Katie M. Kimbrell is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law. Katie M., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Katie M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Bill's law practice focuses on a wide variety of tax, corporate and business matters, including deferred compensation, equity based incentive plans and the purchase and sale of owner-managed businesses - with an emphasis on developing exit strategies for the family or closely-held business owner. He also counsels clients on various federal, state and local tax issues. Thriving on creative solutions to complex issues, and believing that “if you are through changing, you are through&rdquo...

Debra Taylor Lewis is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law. Debra Taylor, who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Debra Taylor is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

General background: Annesley H. DeGaris is the founding partner of the Birmingham, Alabama law firm DeGaris & Rogers, LLC. He is recognized nationally for mass tort litigation involving defective medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Mr. DeGaris also has an extensive practice in individual personal injury and wrongful death cases in a variety of circumstances, including motor vehicle collisions, tractor trailer collisions, and toxic exposures. He has litigated cases against major trucking ...

Dan Sparks is head of Christian & Small’s Creditor & Lender Rights Practice Group. He focuses his practice in the areas of bankruptcy and business litigation involving creditors’ rights, consumer finance, lender liability and injunctive relief. Dan represents commercial lenders, debt buyers, corporations, Trustees, individuals and other secured and unsecured creditors in all aspects of commercial litigation, loan workouts, loan restructuring, asset recovery, foreclosure an...

Carl Smyly was born and raised in Andalusia, Alabama. He received his undergraduate education at Birmingham-Southern College, where he was selected for membership in the Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Beta Kappa scholastic honorary societies and was valedictorian of his graduating class in 1979. He then earned his Juris Doctor degree at the University of Virginia School of Law in 1982. Mr. Smyly has been assigned the highest possible Peer Review Ratings for legal ability and ethical standards in...

Kimberly R. West is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Health Care Law and Insurance Law. Kimberly R., who practices law in Birmingham, Alabama, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kimberly R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.